Meeting people online is becoming more and more common, especially among people looking to make new friends or have someone to talk to. However, those behind a screen are not always who they say they are and, in some cases, these relationships can end. becoming a scam. This is exactly what happened to an almost 80-year-old retiree in the United Kingdom, who lost more than 4,000 pounds (about 4,600 euros) after befriending a stranger on the Internet who began asking her for money to pay for supposed medical expenses.
According to information provided by the British bank TSB, collected by Independentthe woman had met this person through social networks and, after maintaining contact for a while, ended up establishing a friendship. However, the stranger began to tell her that he had health problems and needed financial help to pay his medical bills, so the retiree decided to send him money.
The woman made several payments and bought gift cards to help the person she thought was her friend, until he stopped contacting her. It was then that he discovered that it had all been a hoax and that he had lost more than £4,000, in a case that the bank used to warn of scams that prey on older people looking for company online.
He asked her for money to pay some medical bills after gaining her trust
From the bank itself, they explained that before talking about her alleged health problems, the scammer had already gained the retiree’s trust. She, without suspecting that it was a scam, decided to help him and that was when she sent him different amounts of money, in addition to the gift cards.
The bank explained that this was not an isolated case. In fact, another of his clients, almost 70 years old, made 60 payments over four years to a person he had met on an Internet forum and who posed as a young man who needed help to escape from an abusive family.
In another case, a person over 70 years old began receiving threats from a supposed friend who warned him that he would stop talking to him if he did not send him money and gift cards.
Scammers Prey on Seniors Looking for Companionship
One of TSB Bank’s main concerns is that these types of scams can go on for months or even years, as criminals try to establish a relationship of trust before they start asking for money.
From what the entity explained, scammers often invent stories related to illnesses, family problems or emergency situations to get victims to help them financially.
In fact, the bank’s data showed that average losses in identity theft fraud cases exceed £3,100 (about €3,565), although some people lose much larger amounts.
TSB fraud expert Steph Harrison warned that criminals are taking advantage of older people’s goodwill and desire for companionship, even taking away their life savings.
A retiree leaves his inheritance to a model he met online and his daughter manages to annul the will: the woman did not exist
They steal his keys and drain the 30,000 euros he had saved in his account: he gets them back because the bank did nothing to prevent it
He also explained that although the Internet can be a good way to meet people, it is important to be wary when a person you don’t know personally starts asking for money, especially if they use health problems or emergencies to justify it.